No, it’s not a racer, but this could be a commuter’s dream: a stylish foldable electric bicycle. Handy for taking the train and whizzing to the office downtown. London-based company Karbon Kinetics has just announced its latest model: the Gocycle GX. It should hit the street coming Spring. Gocycle frames and wheels are the first in the world to be manufactured from moulded magnesium using a process called Thixomoulding.
Foldable electric bicycle
Karbon Kinetics is the brainchild of former McLaren Cars design engineer Richard Thorpe. He aims to design and manufacture ‘the world’s best urban electric bikes’. This latest model, the Gocycle GX, is aimed at people who want a hassle-free, compact bike to use on their daily commute. The GX can fold/ unfold in ten seconds, say the makers. This would make it ideal for commuters who don’t want to waste time bolting their bike together at peak travel times. This is a foldable electric bicycle for people in a hurry.
Urban design
The bike has a sleek, urban design and looks at first sight like a sturdy and stylish travel companion. The Gocycle GX, which you can pre-order from the company website, is priced at around €3,200. It’s available in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU and will be delivered in Spring 2019.
The Gocycle G2 model won a Red Dot design award for product design in 2015. We have to admit, this little machine does have a certain élan, not often found on this type of bicycle. This may be party due to the bike’s frame and wheel material: magnesium. This is more environmentally-friendly than carbon fibre, says the confusingly named Karbon Kinetics, as it is widely available and easy to recycle.
Gocycles are controlled through a smartphone app. They have rear suspension, a lithium battery (300Wh) and torque sensing. This means the faster you pedal, the more assistance you get from the motor. The 250W motor is located in the front wheel. The rider powers the rear wheel through the pedals. The bike weighs around 16kgs. The battery takes seven hours to charge normally. You can buy a fast charger, which will halve the charging time.
These bikes are a one-size-fits-all design, and have a wide range of accessories such as panniers, lights, a docking station and a luggage rack. Sharp-eyed readers will note the one-legged front fork, reminiscent of the famous Cannondale ‘Leftie’ system. The makers claim you can ride up to 60km on one battery charge, but that depends on how much pedal power you use.
Dutch roots
Fun fact: the Gocycle’s ‘Pitstopwheel’ was mounted to the VeloX Human Powered Vehicle in 2013, which set a new world speed record for HPVs of 133.78 kph in Battle Mountain, Nevada. The VeloX will be familiar to Dutch readers. The project is run by a team of students from the Delft University of Technology and the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Gocycle is proud to claim its wheels are the fastest in the world, thanks to their VeloX success.